12 new stories on The Next Web today |  |
- iPad, iPhone and BlackBerry devices to be allowed on Capitol Hill [TNW United States]
- Julian Assange signs $1.5 million book deal “to keep WikiLeaks afloat” [TNW Media]
- VLC for Android Coming “In A Matter Of Weeks” [TNW Mobile]
- 11 wonderful Christmas infographics for the festive info-geek in you [TNW Shareables]
- How the partners at TNW wished each other a Merry Christmas this year [TNW Shareables]
- Gorillaz iPad-created album, The Fall, available now for free [TNW Apple]
- Russian engineers building the next web: Space-based Internet. [TNW Shareables]
- Are QR Codes in marketing just a passing fad? [TNW Social Media]
- New Years Eve Idea: Wear The World’s Most Hi-Tech Dress [TNW Shareables]
- Keep calm and.. [TNW Shareables]
- Gadgety gifts? Here are 5 great accessories. [TNW Gadgets]
- The 5 things I’m most thankful for this Holiday season [TNW Gadgets]
- Just got an Android device? Download these apps first. [TNW Mobile]
| iPad, iPhone and BlackBerry devices to be allowed on Capitol Hill [TNW United States] Posted: 26 Dec 2010 02:34 AM PST
John A. Boehmer, the Republican Member for Ohio, is to relax measures impacting the use of electronic devices, keeping the ban in place for matters that weren’t House-related like phone calls or internet shopping, their use being both greener, able to help inform Members of different pieces of legislation and also allow them to receive communications. Brendan Buck, spokesman for the Republicans notes:
It seems lawmakers are beginning to see the uses behind the use of technology with their institutions, only last week the Chief Lord Justice removed the ban on using Twitter in courtrooms in England and Wales, allowing journalists to report on trials as they happen. The move has come in for some criticism whilst being lauded for bringing the House into the modern age. As long as House Members use technology to remain updated on matters, using it to research and not using it to distract themselves from proceedings, it help influence more informed decisions.NYTimes, Image Credit [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Julian Assange signs $1.5 million book deal “to keep WikiLeaks afloat” [TNW Media] Posted: 26 Dec 2010 12:38 AM PST
Assange, speaking with the Sunday Times, said the money would be used to defend himself against allegations of sexual assault, a legal case that currently means the Wikileaks founder is living under strict bail conditions following his release from jail ten days ago. “I don’t want to write this book, but I have to,” Assange said. “I have already spent 200,000 pounds for legal costs and I need to defend myself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat.” As a result of the deal, Assange will receive $800,000 fro Alfred A. Knopf, his American publisher as well as £325,000 from Canongate, his UK publisher. Money from other markets could increase the total to £1.1 million. With many financial institutions freezing any payments to the whistleblowing website, Assange is having to find alternative avenues to finance Wikileaks. By writing his autobiography, Assange will receive the money directly, financing his legal costs and also giving him funds to help to keep Wikileaks online. Assange will be back in court for the full hearing on the Swedish extradition request starting February 7.Image Credit, Yahoo [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| VLC for Android Coming “In A Matter Of Weeks” [TNW Mobile] Posted: 26 Dec 2010 12:03 AM PST
VLC has been available on iPad since September 20, with iPhone functionality coming less than a month later. The app can help smartphone users stream video formats traditionally not supported by iOS and Android, providing ways for users to watch videos on their devices without having to covert or transcode them first. GigaOM spoke with Kempf, who mentioned the VLC team had been working on an Android VLC app for a number of months but were initially hampered by the fact that Google chose to offer its multimedia output libraries in Java. Now that Google has updated its NDK, which allows developers to use native code for Android apps, two basic modules for audio and video output have been coded using the new NDK. With most VLC libraries already ported to Android, one of the main issues that remains is how VLC will work on different devices. With different Android devices running different firmware, the VLC team need to make sure it can run on specific versions of Android before it is released. GigaOM notes that the progress of VLC's Android app can be tracked on the teams Git page.Image Credit [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| 11 wonderful Christmas infographics for the festive info-geek in you [TNW Shareables] Posted: 25 Dec 2010 02:33 PM PST To get you in a festive mood, here's a list of 11 excellent Christmas-themed infographics we’ve found online. View the full version of the infographics by click on the images below: 1. Christmas in the World
2. Santa is Real
3. Christmas by the Numbers
4. 50 Years of the Most Popular X-Mas Toys
5. Christmas Tree Smackdown
6. Holidays by the Numbers
7. The Origin and Evolution of Santa Claus
8. 10 Interesting Facts About Christmas
9. Santa’s Insurance Costs
10. Christmas Traditions
11. A Tree-Mendous Christmas
In case any other great Christmas-related infographics haven''t been covered, please feel free to use the comments area to share your thoughts and suggestions. [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| How the partners at TNW wished each other a Merry Christmas this year [TNW Shareables] Posted: 25 Dec 2010 02:08 PM PST
[Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Gorillaz iPad-created album, The Fall, available now for free [TNW Apple] Posted: 25 Dec 2010 01:07 PM PST
By visiting the band’s site, the album can be downloaded for free now for members of the Gorillaz fan club. For those that are not members, you’re limited to being able only to stream the entire album (physical release of the album is scheduled for later in 2011). Not the “free” that I and other non-members expected, but grand none the less. The Fall, produced by Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn, was recorded during the band’s 32 day autumn North American Tour which took the group Montreal to Vancouver via Seattle, Texas and Toronto. What resulted from the effort is 15 tracks, both instrumentals and some using vocals, some solo performances and others a collaborative effort. According to Albarn:
Further,
All tracks written and performed for the album were done so by Gorillaz using the iPad and and other instruments including: Korg Vocoder, Ukelele, Microkorg, Omnichord, Moog Voyager, Melodica, Guitar, Piano, Korg Monotron. The apps used to create the album include:
The full track listing is:
After spending the better part of the morning listening to the album, the fourth effort from Gorillaz is mainly an electronic product, featuring upbeat moments, melancholy portions and everything in-between. If you like Gorillaz, you’ll certainly enjoy their latest release, even more so when one considers how the final product came to fruition. [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Russian engineers building the next web: Space-based Internet. [TNW Shareables] Posted: 25 Dec 2010 12:14 PM PST
In whole, the group intends to launch 48 satellites into orbit, enough to cover the entire planet. Russia alone could be served by only 18 of the satellites, but the availability of the remaining will allow the system to be used for other purposes, as well.
Beyond the availability of worldwide messaging, the project would operate independently of any ground-based system, thus providing communication and infrastructure that will operate regardless of natural disaster and other such catastrophe. In whole, the project is estimated to cost a mere 20 billion dollars, and preliminary estimates state that the system will be paid in full within 10 years of its launch. Pretty amazing things, from where we’re sitting. Is this, truly, The Next Web? [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Are QR Codes in marketing just a passing fad? [TNW Social Media] Posted: 25 Dec 2010 11:56 AM PST
Proliferation Of Smart PhonesThe main reason that marketers are embracing this trend is because so many more of us now have smartphones that are able to read QR codes. The technology is hardly earth shattering but the fact that a large percentage of us now walk around with powerful computers in our pockets means that new technologies are emerging and QR codes are one of the biggest winners to date. Technology Needs To ImproveThe technology of smartphones has improved massively in the last 18 months but reading QR codes is still a pain as it involves opening an app which is a cumbersome experience. The experience needs to be smoother to encourage wider adoption and ideally would need to be built into cameras as a native function on all phones. I want to be able to take a picture with my phone and be taken straight to the link. The barrier to entry needs to decrease and that is up to the phone manufacturers. Linking Real World To Online WorldSome of the most innovative QR code campaigns are extending the experience of the offline marketing into the online world. The beauty of QR codes is that they can increase the measurement and effectiveness of ads. I've seen this in particular with iPhone app ads (where the QR code links through to a download) which is an effective way for app developers to promote their apps in a notoriously difficult market place. The danger is that people slap a QR code onto things just for the sake of it and while that might work in the short term while QR codes are still new, we still need further innovation. |
| New Years Eve Idea: Wear The World’s Most Hi-Tech Dress [TNW Shareables] Posted: 25 Dec 2010 10:48 AM PST
The dress was designed by London based Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz of CuteCircuit and features 24,000 LEDs. The dress is powered by tiny iPod batteries and is enhanced by 4,000 hand-applied Swarovski crystals.
Watch a video of the dress here: Someone please send me this dress for New Years Eve so I can have a dance off with Jamiroquai?The Huffington Post [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Keep calm and.. [TNW Shareables] Posted: 25 Dec 2010 10:21 AM PST Twitter may sometimes be down but we suggest you: [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Gadgety gifts? Here are 5 great accessories. [TNW Gadgets] Posted: 25 Dec 2010 09:47 AM PST Us being us, we love it when we get gadgets for Christmas (or any other time, for that matter). The best part, I think, is that after the first impressions are gone, you get to go gift shopping to buy accessories for your gadgets. With that in mind, here are 5 of the greatest things we’ve seen for the gadgets you might have just gotten. DODOcase for iPad$59.95 – DODOcase.com
adidas miCoach armband for iPod$29.99 – GriffinTechnology.com If you’ve eaten a bit too much this holiday season, and maybe you’ve put losing weight onto your New Year’s resolution, Griffin has you covered. While there are a A built-in key slot on the band will make sure that you can get into your house or into the gym. The arm band is also more comfortable than many we’ve tried, While it’s extremely thin, it still manages to keep from cutting into your arm as so many others can. Want one? it’s only $30 and you’ll be one step closer to your resolution. Or at least a step closer to looking like you are. Turtle Beach Ear Force DX11 for Xbox$129.99 – BestBuy.com
Ultimate Ears SuperFi 3 Studio$99.99 – UltimateEars.com
Ultimate Ears is a company that specializes in high quality audio. From custom-fit in-ear monitors to their lower-end ear buds, the company makes great sound sound great. So really, forget about your Skullcandy or Beats trash, do yourself a favor and invest a few bucks into getting the most from what you just opened. The SuperFi 3 ear buds are a mid-level product, from the price standpoint. At less than $100, they’re absolutely the best you can buy. Razer Naga Molten SE$79.99 – RazerZone.com
Those buttons on the side? If you’re using Windows, you’ll be able to fully program them to do any macro function that you want. Need to increase or decrease your sensitivity? You can do that on the fly. It’s oversized, so not for small hands. However, if you have bigger hands or tend to appreciate oversized mice, then the Naga is going to be just for you. The Molten Special Edition isn’t out, just yet. You’ll need to pre-order it for shipment just after the first if the year. So there you have it. Go out, get shopping and accessorize. We’ll start rounding up the great stuff that comes out for the newly-released phones such as the Nexus S and the forthcoming LTE devices as well. For now, enjoy your gifts and let us know your thoughts in the comments. [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| The 5 things I’m most thankful for this Holiday season [TNW Gadgets] Posted: 25 Dec 2010 08:50 AM PST
After all, behind every app is a team, and everyone loves a shoutout and high-five. And so, this is my short paean to the technology that keeps my house in order around the year. SkypeSure, Skype just suffered a major outage, but we only cried because we cared so, so much. Skype is the lifeblood of anyone who spends more than a few weeks a year apart from their significant other. That being the truth, I have clocked probably over a thousand hours on Skype over the last few years, all for free. How excellent is that? Skype makes video chatting dead simple, and that brings people together. A sip of eggnog to the Skype team for their great product. Gchat/GmailSkype is my convertible, but my day-to-day car is Gmail and Gchat. I use Skype when I need it, but I live in Gmail. It is the hub for all my lives. It rules my personal, business, and side project comings and goings, keeping everything neat and shiny and sorted in my flashy priority inbox. Heck, since I have an iPhone, whenever it decides to stop working I can even pull out some free phone calls. Thanks Google, I depend on you, just don’t leak my emails please.
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| Just got an Android device? Download these apps first. [TNW Mobile] Posted: 25 Dec 2010 04:27 AM PST Whether you’re the proud owner of a brand new Android mobile phone or maybe a tablet like the Galaxy Tab, you might be wondering which apps to install first. Here’s our pick of the best apps out there to get you started. Social
Facebook - Up until a few weeks ago, we couldn’t have recommended the official Facebook app for Android; it simply lacked too many features. Now it’s turned a corner. Full support for Chat and Places and a neat ‘Recent photos’ browser have all been added recently, making this an essential app for any serious Facebook user. My6Sense – My6Sense is an RSS reader with a difference – it builds social recommendation right in to create a “sixth sense” about the type of content you’ll be interested in. Hook up your Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz account and any RSS feeds you read and the more you use it, the more it will build a ‘Digital Intuition’ about your tastes. As we said when we reviewed it recently, “After the second day, you'll be surprised by what it pulls up. After the fourth, it will amaze you." Meebo – Google builds a Google Talk app right into Android but if you use other IM services like AIM, MSN, ICQ, MySpace, Yahoo or any Jabber/XMPP services, Meebo has you covered in one app. It’s not the world’s best looking app but it’s practical and keeps you in touch with your friends and contacts, what more do you need from an IM app? Media
DoggCatcher -If you watch or listen to a lot of podcasts, we can’t recommend DoggCatcher highly enough. This app gets more updates than any other Android app we’ve seen, with almost every week bringing a new feature, tweak or bug fix. As a result, DoggCatcher has been honed into an app that combines a good-looking, practical interface with a vast podcast directory and easy controls for managing your downloads. Audible – If you love audio books, Audible‘s Android app is worth a serious look at. Providing access to Audible’s vast library of spoken word titles and making it easy to browse, download and listen to titles. You’ll need an Audible subscription to use the app but if you prefer to be read to than to read, it’s worth the expense. Kindle – Haven’t you heard? Books are dead, e-books are the future and Kindle is the finest e-reader for Android. While reading on your Android device’s screen might not be the greatest of experiences, the convenience of having a huge bookstore at your fingertips is fantastic for avid readers. What’s more, your reading is synchronised with any other Kindle-supported devices you own, meaning that you’ll never be searching for your place in the book – you can just get on with reading. Productivity
Dropbox – Whether you’re an existing Dropbox user wanting to manage your account on the go or are just looking for an easy way of getting files on and off your Android device, this app is a must. Files in your cloud-based Dropbox account can be viewed over your Internet connection or saved locally for offline viewing. Hooks into other apps on your device make viewing documents, listening to audio, viewing images or watching videos from the cloud quick and easy. Voice Actions – While many recent Android devices should have this Google app pre-installed, if your Android 2.2 or higher device doesn’t it’s worth downloading as it introduces a whole new way of interacting with your phone. Suddenly many tasks can be completed simply with your voice. Hold down the ‘Search’ button for a couple of seconds and a voice prompt opens. Say “Send text to Zee, just completing my Android apps roundup” and it will look up the contact from your address book and send them a text containing the message. You can search the web, get directions, send email, start music playing and more, all with you voice. The app requires an Internet connection as it runs voice recognition remotely on Google’s servers but even if you only use it once or twice, the novelty factor alone makes it worth trying. Evernote – Busy people need to be organised wherever they are and whatever device they’re using. Evernote makes that really easy by synchronizing your text, audio and photo notes with a cloud-based account. The recently-updated Android app is a pleasure to use, allowing notes to be read, edited and created with ease. If you’re a heavy user of the service you’ll find desktop shortcuts to specific notes a boon and paid-up premium users get offline access to notes thrown in too. GamesGames on Android are still a long way from matching up to their iPhone counterparts in terms of graphics and performance varies depending on the capabilities of the device you own, still, here are some of the best games to try.
Angry Birds – Does this really need an introduction? The mobile gaming sensation of the year is just as good on Android as it is on the iPhone. Free to download, the game see you flinging all manner of powered-up avians at evil green pigs who are intent on stealing the birds’ eggs. Beware: this game will eat your life. Pocket Racing – Harking back to the top-down racers of the 80s and 90s, Pocket Racing sees you competing against just one opponent – yourself. With simple left/right controls, it’s down to you to beat your best time on increasingly difficult courses. If you’re a perfectionist, this game will drive you crazy – there’s always an extra fraction of a second you can shave off your best time somewhere. Zenonia – Love in-depth action RPG games like The Legend of Zelda? Zenonia is the closest you’ll get on Android and it does a great job at capturing the same spirit of adventure. Talk to villagers, buy items, go on missions, kill the baddies and repeat. It’s not stunningly original but if you want to lose yourself in another world for a few hours, Zenonia does the job admirably. Anything we’ve missed? Please do leave your own recommendations in the comments section. [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
House Republicans are set to break some longstanding traditions and soon permit the use of iPads, iPhones and BlackBerry devices on the House floor, as long as it doesn’t “impair decorum."
The popular video streaming application VLC is coming to Android and will be released in “a matter of weeks” according to Lead VLC developer Jean-Baptiste Kempf, with the developers suffering setbacks as they try to port over the applications multimedia libraries to the platform.
Earlier this month we brought you 
The Kosmonet project, if Russian engineers have their way, will enable high speed Internet to exist in space. The benefits? Many, according to an article over at 
On the way to work today I counted 6 QR codes. I saw them in my morning newspaper, on billboards and and one outside a coffee shop. Marketing circles are embracing this relatively new technology with gusto but are QR codes a useful, long lasting technology or are they just a passing fad? 
I’ve been searching high and low for a fun and sparkly New Years Eve outfit. I stumbled upon “The Galaxy Dress” by 
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